Local Search Marketing
How it works and what are the benefits
Local search is a more integrated approach to marketing for local businesses. Local search marketing aims at putting your business on the map in local searches when customers are searching and looking for a business like yours. Local SEO is then the set of optimization strategies to improve the positioning of a brand when users search for solutions in a particular operating region.
And how does local search work?
To have a good local search presence, you need to optimize online information about your business so that search engines place your business in the right searches and so consumers can find you quickly. If you have your information optimized online, it will be easier and more likely that consumers who are searching for a company with your characteristics, in that area, will find you.
So for that, you need to provide the search engine with everything it needs to know: name, address, phone number, URL. This information must be accurate and consistent so that the search engine can trust your company and consider it fit to be in the results.
What are the benefits of local SEO?
Google is greatly helping its users explore places. The search engine wants users to find what they are looking for when they search for a business in a particular city. So the priority is to improve the users' search experience, leading them to find solutions.
This type of optimization is not so targeted at digital companies (although it is too), with e-commerce sites for example, but rather for physical companies that receive the public physically. Bars, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, stores, shopping centers, hotels, hairdressers are examples of companies where this type of SEO will be beneficial.
How to improve local search ranking on Google?
It is extremely important that when someone searches for a business with the characteristics of yours in a place close to your location, they find your business in Google's local results list.
To improve rankings in local search Google My Business must be well up-to-date with your business data. It may happen that your company is not featured in the most relevant surveys in the area. For this situation not to happen, Google My Business data must be accurate, complete and appealing to increase brand visibility in local searches.
Google My Business
Advantages of Google My Business
- Presence of the company in results on the Search Page and Google Maps;
- It's a way to get into more advantageous positions in research without making a monetary investment because it's free;
- When doing a local service search, the results appear directly on Google Maps;
- It makes contacting easier and people can find out more about your company quickly by searching;
- It is an asset for users to give their opinion about the page;
- There is an evaluation by the users;
- Keeping the Google My Business page up to date helps gain relevance in the results;
- If the company does not have its own website, this is a good way to gain visibility in search engines;
- It gives us statistics about Search and Maps views;
- You can create publications with news, promotions, products and updates;
- Helps increase the click through rate for the website;
- Can integrate with Google Analytics;
- You can add photos of your business;
- Improves the company's local SEO.
Important topics for good Google ranking in local search
Complete data
Local results favor the most relevant results from each survey, and companies with complete and accurate data are more easily matched with the appropriate surveys. If your data is incorrect, incomplete or out of date your company is less likely to appear in a good position. It is important to mention the name of the company, its category, address and contact details.
Validation of locations
It’s important to validate your business locations so they’re more likely to appear in local search results on Google Maps and Search.
Timetable always up to date
Regularly update the hours of operation. You must indicate opening and closing times and special hours for festive seasons, events, holidays. If you have the exact times, users will gain confidence because they know when the company is open so they can move there. On the contrary, if the company provides out of date hours, it conveys a bad image of the business, which results in a lack of trust.
Good management and response to customer comments/Assessment
You should always respond to comments that customers leave about your company. This demonstrates that you care about customer feedback and that you value their opinions. A company that responds and is careful to want to know how each consumer’s experience was is always well-regarded by those who research for themselves. Positive comments about your business will also capture the attention of potential new customers.
Photographs of your business
Accurate, eye-catching images show consumers if the company has what they’re looking for. Blurred or poor quality images will not be attractive to those who search.
How does Google determine ranking in local search?
Prominence
Prominence indicates how well known a company is. Famous museums, well-known hotels or store brands are likely to be prominent in local search results.
Relevance
Relevance indicates the quality of the match between a local business profile and what someone is looking for. By having the data updated and if these correspond to the user’s needs, your company has more chances to be shown.
Distance
Distance considers how far away each potential search result is from the location term used in a search. If a user doesn’t specify a location in the search, Google will calculate the distance based on known information for that location.
Being ranked highly by Google
A good combination of these 3 factors will help your business to be ranked well by Google.
Google’s algorithms may decide that a company that is farther away from the user is more likely to have what it is looking for than a company closer.
A well-crafted and updated Google My Business, with the correct information will certainly contribute to your company being well regarded by the search engine and be one of the first options in the search when the user searches for a company with the characteristics of yours, in that location, in x day.
Local SEO is an excellent tool to boost your business and gain visibility in search engines. Find out about this topic with us.
About Luís Horta
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